


When the Forest Murmurs

by ShadeOfAzmeinya



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Grand Theft Auto Setting, Angst, Fake AH Crew, Multi, Perceived Betrayal, not very shippy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-22
Updated: 2017-06-22
Packaged: 2018-11-17 09:18:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11272533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadeOfAzmeinya/pseuds/ShadeOfAzmeinya
Summary: When the forest murmurs and mountains roar, close the windows and lock the doors.In which part of Ryan's history peaks up, threatening the others, leaving Ryan to deal with it before the ones he loves get hurt from his mistake.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Posted this forever ago on my tumblr but decided I should finally put it here as well. Hope you enjoy!

The muffled music from the bar rings in the alleyway besides it, the beat vibrating the ground. The streetlight flickers with it, emerging the world in and out of darkness. A figure lays sprawled against the ground, the pavement mixing into the curls, face, and the brown leather jacket. The breath from the fallen figure turns to mist in the chill of the night.

There are other figures in the alley, two more, upright, fighting. The taller one’s hands curl against the neck of the other, her fingers digging into his soft skin, leaving hand prints against his throat. The man writhes against her grip, fingers scratching at her arms, but her grip does not shake.

The one against the wall is unarmed, his golden pistol lying off to the side, ripped from his hands and tossed away. The one against the wall is kicking, pushing against the tall, broad woman before him, trying to get free. The one against the wall is not getting free as the woman’s hands crush his windpipe more. The one against the wall is trying to not let his eyes show fear, but his heart is sinking as he’s realizing he may die. 

“I need you to pass a message,” the woman growls, throwing him against the wall again, earning a hiss of pain. “Tell the Vagabond this is his one warning. I’m here and I’m coming to collect.”

“Who are-“ the man coughs out, voice rough and rasping under her grip.

“He’ll know who I am. Deliver my message. Or else.” 

The figure against the wall doesn’t get a second chance to respond as the woman slams his head against the brick and he goes limp.

* * *

The Fakes sit gathered in the penthouse, faces angry and furious. Michael sits against the cough, Jeremy holding a bag of ice to the back of his head. Gavin sits besides him as Jack examines his neck. Ryan paces and Geoff stands above them, arms crossed, expression dark as Gavin coughs out what happened. Michael’s face was snarled in anger as Gavin explains. Angry that someone had gotten the jump on him, angry that he hadn’t been there to protect Gavin. Angry that someone so easily made a fool of them.

Gavin explains the message with raspy breath, explains what this stranger had told him, the only words she had offered as explanation for the attack.

A beat passes. A beat of stunned silence, a beat of expressions turning, a beat of registering flashing. A beat of processing this is Ryan’s fault.

Geoff is the first to move, immediately rounding on Ryan, grabbing the front of his jacket, shoving him against the wall, screaming in his face.

“What the _fuck_ have you been up to?” Geoff barks, the others shouting at him to stop, but he’s not listening. “What the fuck have you been doing? Are you fucking working behind our backs? You fucking betraying us, Haywood? So fucking help me, if you get my boys hurt because of you doing shit behind our backs-“

“I wasn’t betraying you!” Ryan says, flinching back from Geoff, but not fighting him either.

Geoff shoves him against the wall again. “Don’t you fucking lie to me, _Vagabond_.”

“I wasn’t! I swear!”

“Then who is she?” this time, Jack, glaring at Ryan with cold, hard eyes. Distrustful eyes, god doesn’t that hurt. The one who probably trusted him first, looking at him like she isn’t sure she can believe a word he says. “Why is she attacking us?” 

“From before,” Ryan begins to explain as Geoff’s hands yank on his shirt. “I think I might know who she is, and if it is her, it’s from before I joined the crew. I-I thought she was _dead_ I had no idea… Geoff, I would _never_ put you all at risk like that,” he stammers, begging, _pleading_ for them to understand. “I would never have gotten you involved in this. I would never let you guys get hurt.”

Geoff seems to believe him, or at least is giving him a chance, releasing his hold on Ryan’s shirt, but still glaring, still pressing close. “ _Talk_. NOW.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is much longer though I apologize for the fic being short overall.

It ends in an abandoned warehouse in the corner of the world. It ends in a place similar to where it began, all those years ago where gunshots rang in the night and the building crackles as it burned to the ground. Where he thought he had wrapped up the hit, where he thought he would never see them again. Where he watched the place burn for only a moment and stepped away to the next job.

He forgot the biggest rule, though. In his rush to get it finished, in his indifference. Always check the bodies.

And now the spirit of one of those bodies stands across from him, her eyes dark and furious, lips curled into a snarl, and her hands holding a gun pointed right between his eyes.

The night enveloping them was silent. Even the sounds of the city were muffled, stifled from inside the cold, empty cement. The air slows around them, their breaths like ghosts. The darkness crept between them, the moonlight highlighting each one in twisted halos.

“I’m not going to give you some speech, _Vagabond_ ,” she growls, the safety turning off echoing across the warehouse. “You know what you’ve done. And I’m fucking tired of wasting time. We have our understanding. Now have fun in hell, dick.”

The Vagabond doesn’t raise his own weapon. Doesn’t retort back. Doesn’t move save for his eyes closing. Accepting his fate.

_At least his family is safe._

It’s the one thought of comfort he has as he braces for the pain. For the final breath, for the last heartbeat. _At least those he loves are safe._

A gunshot cracks into the night, a body slumps to the ground, and this is where it ends.

* * *

It started before he was with the Fakes. Back when he was just a mercenary for hire, refusing to work with crews. He had been hired by a pair of twins, one man, one woman, who needed his help to take out a growing threat to their “operation.” He didn’t ask, they didn’t explain past that. They had been some of the most efficiently ruthless people he’s ever worked with, each always feeding off each other’s brutality. Ryan could’ve almost been called impressed, could’ve almost decided to work with them more. Hell, he could’ve even had been described as getting along with them. But it was just a job, he always told himself. It was just a job and it had gone well and in the end they handed him a briefcase full of stolen bills and he was on his way.

But the next job was with the twin’s enemies, offering double to take them down even though he had just worked for them. Maybe a better person would’ve had a bit of loyalty to past employers, maybe a better person wouldn’t have done it. But the Vagabond’s not a good person. So he took the money, shot the brother, burned the building down with the sister inside of it. Took down their entire “operation” for more money than he had been ever offered before.

The woman had screamed he would pay for the betrayal as he walked away. Howled at him, clutching her brother, as the flames engulfed the room. The mask just stared, the fire reflecting against the black plastic as he walked away.

He took the money, fled across the country, and thought that was it. He didn’t feel an ounce of regret. The Vagabond didn’t feel regret. So neither did Ryan.

He had no idea the sister would be back. But the description matched her exactly. The message was understood exactly. And if she held even an ounce of the brutality when he knew her, the threat was greater than he ever would’ve wanted. 

Ryan explains this as Geoff glares at him, as Jack’s eyes hold suspicion, as Jeremy’s eyes are wide, and as Michael and Gavin sit hurt, bruised, because of _him_. Ryan explains this all as best he can, as quickly as he can, as apologetically as he can.

Geoff sighs, shoulders slumping and head shaking. “She said she was here to ‘collect’ something,” the first thing he says as Ryan’s story ends. “Is she looking for the money?” 

“I doubt it,” Ryan answers. “She wants my life.”

“Well she’s not going to get it,” Michael snarls, sitting up. “We’re going to fucking kill her before that.”

“We aren’t in any shape to go after her,” Ryan snaps. “We don’t know what resources she’s gathered during all this time. We can’t risk anyone else getting hurt going after her.”

“We’re going to have to,” Geoff says, standing tall. “She’s going to keep attacking us to get to you. That’s what she said. We’re going to go after her. She’s a threat to all of us now.”

_No she’s not,_ Ryan thinks. _She doesn’t have to be. She only wants me._ _She’s only a threat to me._

“We aren’t doing anything yet,” Jack speaks up as the room stiffens. “Right now we need to rest. We need to heal up and plan in the morning.”

The others agree and slowly everyone is shuffled to bed, slowly everyone is curled together again. Well, almost everyone. Ryan stays up, stays away. He tells them all he just couldn’t sleep, which was usual for him and no one suspected anything from it.

Ryan slipped out in the middle of the night. Drove to a safe house only he knew. Dug up some old, encrypted laptops he left there and sat down for a night to be filled with finding out where the sister is and confronting her before she hurts anyone else in the crew. Before anyone else gets hurt because of him.

He wasn’t going to betray this crew, the ones he loves. He was going to prove to them he wouldn’t, prove to them he wasn’t ever going to allow them to be in pain again because of him. Prove that he can handle his own threats without any of the others being casualties from his old life. Prove to them he loves them more than anything else in this world. More than his own life.

The sun has set the next day when he finally finds her. When he finds an address under her name, left for him to find. He hasn’t slept, has barely eaten, but he doesn’t care. He realizes he can stop this all now, realizes it can end without any more casualties. He realizes Fakes fighting her against is too much of a risk. The Fakes standing between her and her vengeance would get them all killed. Ryan recognizes the desperate need for revenge when he sees it. She is never going to go down without a fight. And that fight is a risk that Ryan isn’t going to take. Their lives a risk he isn’t ready to lose.

So he takes his pistols and he takes his keys and he slips away as the sky is an explosion of red and orange, heading towards death.

* * *

 The gunshot rings out against the walls of the warehouse. Then the silence of night falls again. And a breath is taken. And another. And Ryan opens his eyes. And he is still standing. And the woman’s body is collapsed on the floor. And he is blinking his eyes. And he is breathing. And he is alive.  
  
“Ryan!”  
  
A familiar voice calls from behind and Ryan whips around to see his family there, running towards him, fear and worry and relief flashing across all of their faces.

“What… How did you-“ Ryan stumbles, searching for words.

“I can’t believe you were going to do something so stupid, Ryan!” Geoff yells as he gets to Ryan first, grabbing his shoulders with strong hands. “You were going to fucking let yourself get killed?! Just like that?! You slip out when we’re all sleeping and try to get yourself killed?! What the _fuck_ were you thinking?” Geoff’s screaming at him, but there’s more fear than anger in his voice.

“I had to-“ Ryan starts but Geoff’s shaking him, stopping him from finishing. 

“You didn’t have to do shit! We would’ve helped you! We would’ve fought her with you!” 

“You really are a fucking idiot, Rye,” Michael this time as he stands to the side, angry but also visibly relieved.

“Don’t ever bloody do that again.” Gavin as he throws his arms around Ryan, burying his head against his shoulder.

“I’m so glad we got here in time.” Jack wrapping her arms around him as well. “I thought we were going to lose you.”

Jeremy comes over, sniper rifle on his back, no doubt the gunshot that had saved him. He buries his face to Ryan’s side as he holds tightly to his form, arms shaking.

“I’m sorry,” Ryan mumbles as his lovers surround him, as they hold him close, as tears prick at his eyes because now they’re safe. Now he’s safe and now he gets to stay with them. 

“You better be,” Geoff huffs. “Now let’s all fucking go home. No one’s allowed to leave the penthouse ever again. We’re all staying put and together. No more of this almost dying crap.”

They all leave together, arms entangled around each other. They set up a few explosives, to get rid of evidence as Geoff had explained. The warehouse disintegrates, collapsing into itself. There’s no fire this time, no flames to watch as they drive away. Ryan still grins at the destruction as the ones that he loves cradle him close.

And he closes his eyes, falling against their arms, against their safe, strong, _alive_ arms. And they all head towards home, to their corner of the world. And Ryan smiles and whispers that he loves them. And they all whisper that they love him. And this is how it ends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on my [tumblr](http://shadeofazmeinya.tumblr.com/)!

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on my [tumblr](http://shadeofazmeinya.tumblr.com)!


End file.
